Autism now more common among Black, Hispanic kids in US
By MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time, autism is being diagnosed more frequently in Black and Hispanic children than in white kids in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday released the new estimates of how common autism is. It estimates that 1 in 36 children who were age 8 in 2020 had autism. That’s up from 1 in 44 two years earlier. But the rate rose faster for children of color than for white kids. Experts attribute the change to improved screening and autism services for all kids, and to increased awareness and advocacy for Black and Hispanic families.
